1939: Newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst advocated a day to celebrate U.S. Citizenship.

1940: Congress created I Am an American Day to be celebrated on the third Sunday in May.

1952: President Truman moved the holiday to the date of the
signing of the U.S. Constitution, September 17th, and changed the name
to Citizenship Day.

1955: The Daughters of the American Revolution began lobbying in
1955, through Senator William F. Knowland of California, for a memorial
week dedicated to the U.S. Constitution.

1956: President Eisenhower proclaimed the first Constitution Week, from September 17th to September 23rd.

December 2004: Senator Robert Byrd attached a provision to the
Consolidated Appropriations, 2005 (Pub. L. 108-447). This provision
changed the name of Citizenship Day to Constitution Day and mandated
that all school districts receiving federal funding must instruct
students on the U.S. Constitution on September 17th, or the following
week if September 17th falls on a weekend or holiday.

"Most Californians register to vote not because a political cause has touched their heart, but rather because they checked a box on a form at the Department of Motor Vehicles when they received or renewed their driverís license."